


Orange Tea, infused with Lemon and Basil and a Side of Cotton Candy

by EphemeralIllusion



Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cotton Candy, Fluff, Gender Dysphoria, Genderfluid Basil, Hurt/Comfort, Is that the name of the Aubrey and Kim ship?, Kimbrey, Let's go with Sunscreen, Multi, Poly, Polyamory, Post-Canon, Post-good ending, Romance, Sunscreen, Trans Male Character, Transboy Kel, What even is the tag name for Kel x Sunny x Basil?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:20:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29811087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EphemeralIllusion/pseuds/EphemeralIllusion
Summary: [Spoilers for Omori Good/True Ending]With everything said and done, Sunny didn't end up moving away, and was stuck in the hospital for a while due to his self-inflicted malnutrition. Aubrey ended up getting adopted by Kel's family, so this would have been the best outcome in Kel's mind. The only problem was... he had a crush. On two boys. Sunny and Basil. Nothing could get Kel down, right? That's what everyone believed, unaware of all the insecurities that Kel hid from everyone, but now he couldn't hide it from family. But maybe he could do this, and maybe he could be the wingman for his new sister too in the process.
Relationships: Aubrey & Kim (OMORI), Aubrey/Kim (OMORI), Kel & Sunny & Basil (Omori), Kel/Sunny/Basil (Omori)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 67





	Orange Tea, infused with Lemon and Basil and a Side of Cotton Candy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: "I'm feeling burned out on working on Psychometry, I should work on something else"  
> Also Me: "Oops, this thing's too long to be a single one shot guess its a longfic like Psychometry".

“It is… Six… O'Clock… AM” the feminine mechanical voice spoke, the alarm on Kel’s phone was going off and Kel groaned as he rolled around in bed, wincing as he felt the firmness of the mattress against the spot he didn’t particularly like being reminded of the existence of, the building feeling of nausea wasn’t helping.

“It is… Six… O’Clock… AM” the alarm repeated and Kel let out a small whine, he swore he could hear the chuckling of Hero rolling over in his own bed.

“You never enjoy waking up early, do you?” Hero asked, as Kel sat up in bed before they managed to force their alarm off.

“Have I ever…? Sleep is so nice…” Kel mumbled out, climbing out of bed and stumbling a bit as they tried to readjust their footing. 

“You were the one who set the alarm” Hero pointed out, getting out of bed and helping Kel maintain his balance. 

“Yeah I know… just wanted to make sure I was up for today…” Kel said, as his brother helped him towards the bathroom.

“You doing alright…?” Hero asked with concern as Kel winced.

“Not in the slightest…” Kel confessed, Hero immediately knew why judging by the pained look on his brother’s face.

“Are you going to be okay…?” Hero asked next, and Kel tried to flash his characteristic smile.

“Y-Yeah… it’s… going to be okay” Kel said, though his tone was unsure as he leaned against the bathroom door. The pain was a bit much at the moment, maybe he could just splash his face and attempt to endure the pain that wracked his lower half.

“You won’t have to deal with this as badly once the blockers start to kick in” Hero said, trying to help his brother maintain hope.

“I know…” Kel said, tears in his eyes as the pain just felt worse and worse. It just heightened the internalised disgust he felt as Kel tried the door handle and started to open it, stumbling forward as the door gave way.

The bathroom was already occupied, by Aubrey who was brushing their teeth, even now she was still an early waker, likely a result of her living situation. Kel didn’t blame them.

“Hey, sis…” Kel groaned out, stepping forward as Hero shut the door behind them, deciding that Aubrey was probably a better choice for helping Kel at the moment. Less awkward for Hero if anything else.

After what they had seen in Aubrey’s house, Child Protective Services had ended up being called by Kel and Hero’s mother. Being that they grew up together, CPS had evidently decided it was easier and less work for them to just let Kel and Hero’s parents adopt Aubrey as their daughter.

It had worked out decently, Aubrey had gotten a better home, Aubrey’s mother was in a medical ward under caretaking of the state due to her current psychological condition and Sally got another sibling.

But it had led to Aubrey finding out about Kel’s secret by virtue of the fact they had to live together, and Kel really didn’t want to end up getting misgendered, especially not by someone who was now legally his sister.

It was still surreal to him though, but it had also led to Aubrey acting rather… protective of him. Aubrey was older, that made her his big sister. He started to wonder if her upbringing and new reality had led her to become like this, especially after what happened to Mari and the big reveal about what had really gone on four-nearly-five years ago.

“Not doing so hot, brother?” Aubrey asked, the appellation of brother was important to Kel. Especially on days like this, a feeling that Aubrey understood very well on a personal level. Kel was kind of lucky she wasn’t going through this at the moment, it would have made it more difficult for the both of them.

“I feel like my body’s trying to rip itself apart… why did I have to be born like this?” Kel complained a little as he stumbled forward and leaned against the basin, trying to avoid looking at the mirror.

All it took was a simple glance and Kel was reminded of how much he hated his stupid corporeal container. Seeing himself on days like this renewed the feeling of disgust, the feeling of wrongness. His mind felt like it was buzzing with static, the pain that he wished he could just shut off, and the dissonant sensation of wrongness permeating his entire body. These were the times when the facade cracked, and Kel could not fake being happy, and it still hurt Aubrey to see Kel in pain and crying.

The nausea overtook him, and Kel was thankful he hadn’t had breakfast that morning. Aubrey gave him a bit of space, running the water to help rinse down the sick. Kel spluttered and whimpered, coughing from the acidic burning that scored his throat. Aubrey managed to finish cleaning her teeth, rubbing circles into Kel’s back with one hand as she helped Kel get cleaned up.

“I wanna die…” Kel complained melodramatically at one point, and Aubrey confessed she found some amusement out of the melodrama that Kel made it out to be. A form of comedy to distract Kel from his own issues. 

“You say that literally every time this happens, it’s kinda getting old, dorkenKel” Aubrey had commented in the response, as she was helping Kel brush his teeth as the boy’s agony made it difficult for him to maintain stability on his feet.

“That doesn’t change the fact that I do!” Kel insisted, trying not to swallow the toothpaste before he managed to get enough strength that Aubrey felt comfortable enough to let the boy deal with the rest of his oral hygiene.

“Just think of it this way, Sunny’s getting out of the hospital today!” Aubrey said, trying to cheer him up, grinning at him as she patted his back.

“It’s still a shame about how things fell through for them…” Kel mused, expelling the water and toothpaste slurry down the drain, spitting a few times due to the lingering taste of strong peppermint against his taste buds.

Sunny had to be hospitalised for a bit longer, his own habit of starving himself had led to a serious case of malnutrition, and the complications caused by his fight with Basil had not been any better.

The sale of the house was basically cancelled after the attempted lease of an apartment in the city had fallen through as well when something had happened and the owner had needed to use the unit that was going to be rented out to Sunny and her.

All the preparations that they had meant that none of the stuff had been removed from the house, and Aubrey and Hero had the chance to talk with Sunny’s mother about things and help unpack everything again.

Kel hadn’t been around for that talk with Sunny’s mother, he had been at the doctor’s getting his first injection of blockers to help halt puberty so as to make transitioning later. It had been a big deal for him that day, finally he was on course to correct his flawed body and be happy within his own skin. Of course it had only been the first injection, and he needed them every so often to help continue things, but better late than never Kel thought at the time.

It had been difficult to keep it under wraps from everyone, as far as Kel knew, only his family and Hero knew that he was transgender. Kel wanted to keep it that way, and he had been nervous when Aubrey had been assigned to his family due to their childhood bond. Sure, it helped make sure their bond was restored after 4 years but it had necessitated telling Aubrey.

Kel hadn’t enjoyed that, having feared the girl would not understand or would even be disrespectful. But… she hadn’t. Kel’s fears about it were unfounded, and she even admitted she had some suspicions for a while but didn’t think to ask about it. 

A problem had come up when Mikhael flirted with him one day. Kel tried to play it off as being dense about it, acting like he misunderstood Mikhael even though he very much did know what Mikhael meant with his flirting. Aubrey… Aubrey had assumed the worst, and Kel couldn’t blame her, especially as Kel had panicked and believed that Mikhael had found out.

And it had made Kel feel exceptionally bad that day, feeling he had slipped up and made a mistake somewhere. Aubrey responded… by near crushing Mikhael’s hand. Suddenly Mikhael was a smidge frightened of being seen around Kel. 

According to Aubrey, Mikhael had claimed he was gay and just realised it recently, but Aubrey didn’t believe him. Given how vain Mikhael could be, Kel wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or not but in his optimism he hoped Mikhael was being truthful. Mikhael still wasn’t his type. He couldn’t stand his narcissistic behaviour given his own issues with self-image.

He also couldn’t stand how Mikhael had gone so far as to try to pay girls to hang around him. It felt degrading, and he was surprised Mikhael hadn’t gotten punched by someone other than Aubrey for it. Honestly he was surprised Kim hadn’t punched him yet. Maybe they were waiting for him to fuck up intensely.

Maybe that’s part of why he refused to humour Mikhael’s stupid insistance on being called ‘The Maverick’, sure Kel wasn’t as good as he should have been at his school studies but he was pretty sure he knew what a Maverick was and Mikhael sure as hell wasn’t.

“Hey, at least Basil and Sunny will have us to support them” Aubrey pointed out, which was true. Sunny living near them again had been a welcome benefit about things, though Sunny’s mother admitted she had already suspected what had really happened to Mari but hadn’t said anything for fear of losing her only remaining child.

Talking with her had apparently helped, according to Hero. They were still going to need therapy. A lot of it, especially with the 4 years they had spent destroying themselves. Basil hadn’t shut himself in like Sunny had, but had to deal with bullying and harassment for a misunderstanding.

“Maybe I’ll see them at the psychologist’s from time to time” Kel suggested, before he frowned and realised… they would see him at the psychologists. Oh god they would see him at the psychologists. 

“Are you going to be okay opening up with your therapist about that whole hornet’s nest…?” Aubrey asked tentatively, since she knew now that a lot of Kel’s optimism had been a defense mechanism, trying to cope with Mari’s death, Hero’s breakdown and depression, Aubrey’s bullying and the destruction of their friend group with happiness, anything to distract himself as well from his own dysphoria.

“I…” Kel began, as he slid down and leaned against the cabinet the basin was built into. “I… don’t know, actually…” Kel confessed, as he hugged himself to try and comfort himself, as he worried about how his therapist would feel about this tidbit of information. 

He was afraid that it would be used as an excuse to invalidate his gender identity. Which is why he hadn’t talked about the last four years much with his psychologist, he didn’t feel comfortable acknowledging how much it had messed him up.

Kel had been one of the first to forgive Sunny and Basil, part of it was optimism, another part was knowing how irrational he would have been in their shoes if it had been Hero, and yet another part was also just wanting something to go right and to not lose his friends. He already had noticed tell-tale warning signs with Sunny and Basil.

He didn’t want to add a reason for the two to try and act on their darker harmful thoughts about themselves, Kel already knew he struggled with his as it was.

“You can do it, Kel. I know you can. Sunny told me his psychologist was actually rather understanding about it, and you’ve got the same psych, right?” Aubrey added to her previous train of thought, trying to encourage Kel. They all had agreed that none of them were okay after what had happened, each of them had been hurt in some way with Mari’s death, and none of them really blamed Sunny and Basil.

If anything they were more angry about what Sunny and Basil did after hiding Mari’s death, try to bottle it up and try to take the secrets with them to the grave. Hero had been the one to point out that if they had admitted to this from the start, things would have gone far better for everyone involved even if they hadn’t forgiven them.

It was difficult, even a few months on, to try and move on with their lives. But healing would take time, even Kel knew that. Sunny and Basil would need the most help given their closeness to the act.

“Weird to hear you rooting for me after the number of times we’ve argued…” Kel confessed, trying to laugh, before coughing a little from how sore his throat felt after the previous nausea bout. 

“I’m your big sister now, gotta set an example, even if you are a dumbass... Besides, I don’t want to be kicking you when you’re down when you’re going through this. Believe me, you’ve helped me through this exact same thing before ya know, so I guess I’m paying back the favour” Aubrey admitted, and Kel had to smile. It was one of the few things they didn’t argue about. Sure they still argued but there was less fury about it, more like sibling squabbles as were normal.

“Which also means you’ve gotta set a good example for my baby sister, big sis!” Kel said in jest, and Aubrey rolled her eyes in response. Causing Kel to grin as his joke hit home.

“Yeah well, someone’s going to have to set the example, sure as hell ain’t going to be you, and knowing you like I do, you’d probably try and feed her Orange Joe all the time” Aubrey scoffed and Kel snorted.

“Hey! Orange Joe is really nice!” Kel insisted and Aubrey looked at him like he was insane.

“God, no wonder you need a therapist if you think that stuff is not horrific poison upon the tongue” Aubrey retorted, and Kel responded with a faked look of sheer horror.

It was nice joking around like this, helping Kel ignore the pain of this time of the month. Aubrey enjoyed riling him up like this, and seeing Kel act happier was worth it. She still found him a tad annoying, but he was the little brother. And well… It was nice to have a family that cared now.

“Speaking of which…” Aubrey began and Kel braced himself for the question, as he managed to get himself up from the ground with her help.

Aubrey placed her hands on Kel’s shoulders and gripped. Kel winced, she wasn’t going to let him get away.

“You fine to dress yourself this morning? Hell... are you even okay with seeing Sunny and Basil today?” Aubrey’s tone was more serious, she was seriously worried. She knew that Kel liked to dance around who he was romantically interested in. Aubrey knew it wasn’t her, but whenever the topic of Sunny or Basil came up, Aubrey had noticed certain ticks in Kel’s behaviour.

“Y-Yeah, I’ll be fine…” Kel insisted, he hated when he was like this. Sometimes it was hard enough to get his bra on. Especially the types of sports bras he used to try and flatten his chest as much as he could. It was difficult and Kel swore that he had somehow gotten lucky with no one really noticing. Maybe his clothes were enough to hide what he worried about the most.

“Are you sure?” Aubrey demanded, not letting go and Kel shuddered as she knew why she was asking this.

“No…” Kel admitted, he was terrified of confessing his feelings towards the two. It hadn’t changed much from when they were kids, and even then Kel had wrestled with issues with his own romantic orientation too, which had made the issues with his gender all that more worrying.

“You don’t have to do this, Kel…” Aubrey insisted, really worried that Kel was going to hurt himself emotionally if he wasn’t careful. Things were difficult enough with trying to heal after Mari’s death, and Aubrey was worried that this matter would destroy Kel.

“I know… but I want to. I want them to know how I feel. I want to know if they feel the same way…” Kel confessed, leaning against Aubrey for support. He felt vulnerable admitting these things in confidence to Aubrey, but she was understanding.

  
  
“I still think you’re making a bigger deal about this than you should be… do you really think they’d reject you on the basis of… you know?” Aubrey asked, gripping a little tighter to try and shake Kel a little, to get him to focus on her for the moment.

“I know they probably won’t but there’s a side of me that worries that it’ll be enough of a problem that they will but… I don’t want them to think that I didn’t trust them enough to tell them about… how I am” Kel admitted, it was more of a peace of mind thing for him. He wanted to be happy, but he felt that he should let them know, so he’d be more comfortable around them. 

At this point they were the only two of their old childhood friend group that didn’t know. He didn’t want to worry about not passing enough around friends, and given the number of people who did know at this point, he saw it as more of an important enough issue to bring it up to them.

“It’s Sunny and Basil, I highly doubt those two are going to make a big deal out of you considering how they already view themselves even after we forgave them. Either way, it’s important to you, do you want me to be there?” Aubrey asked, and Kel had to laugh at that.

“What? You and Kim together, my big sister and her girlfriend to spook them if they get upset about it?” Kel asked, and it was Aubrey’s turn to blush.

“Oh come off it, Aubrey. You and I both know you’re about as straight as I am” Kel teased, grinning as his teasing hit home. 

“We’re… how…” Aubrey spluttered as Kel cackled at her flustering.

“You haven’t asked her out yet?” Kel accused, oh it was so enjoyable to see the reactions on Aubrey’s face when he teased her about, to his eyes, her increasingly obvious crush on her second in command of the so-called ‘Hooligang’.

  
“I’m… trying to find the right time…” Aubrey deflected, looking away as she let go of Kel, crossing her arms and grumbled.

“You can do it, Aubrey. I mean, even you can manage to ask her out, right?” Kel teased, and he managed to angle his body to avoid Aubrey’s retaliatory swing of her arms. 

“What the hell do you mean by ‘even you’, Kel?” Aubrey asked, feigning offense as Kel stuck his tongue out.

“I mean, it’s obvious you’re into her, Aubs. Meanwhile I’ve gotta ask out TWO boys cus I’m into BOTH of them” Kel said, taking this chance to splash his face, picking up his hairbrush and starting to brush his hair into a more appropriate look instead of a ragged bedhead.

“That’s your metric for comparison? That it’s harder cus you’re a poly-interested disaster?” Aubrey asked, dumbfounded by his logic but she couldn’t really argue against it since he was kinda right.

“I mean… she’s into you, I can tell” Kel retorted, as he tugged at his hair, as the brush had gotten caught in some knots. Aubrey sighed, walking over and taking the brush from Kel and starting to brush at his hair, to get it in a more appropriate look.

  
  
Kel managed to suppress his internal disgust a little as he watched the mirror as Aubrey helped him with his hair for the day. It had always been difficult, especially by himself. Aubrey must have noticed the rising panic he felt as he gazed at the mirror, rubbing circles into his back every so often to try and calm him down from a full on anxiety attack.

“God you’re a dumbass but you’re observant as fuck, aren’t you?” Aubrey asked, grumbling as she was having a bit of struggle, picking up a hair comb from the counter and starting to use the more firm comb to detangle the boy’s hair. 

“Why’s your hair so god damn thick…?” Aubrey groaned, and Kel just giggled to distract himself, closing his eyes to try and relax. The pain in his stomach was subsiding a little as his body got used to it, and he was able to tune it out more despite the agony he felt. He wouldn’t miss this sensation once the blockers were finally able to take effect.

“I get it from our mom” Kel said, and Kel could feel Aubrey stop for a few moments before continuing. He couldn’t see her face, but he could tell that Aubrey had needed that reminder. Her birth mother was gone, under the state’s protection and now Aubrey had a better mother. Kel had been glad for it, having already noticed the favouritism dwindling as of late. 

His parents had always been accepting of him being transgender, but there was always the subtle favouritism that Kel had felt, Hero was going to college and his parents were very excited about that. Kel was still in high school and had below average grades, but he got along well with his parents. 

At the very least, there had been a few slip ups here and there, Kel didn’t hold it against his parents. They were still learning, but they understood. Hero helped a lot, especially given his studies, and was a rock Kel could cling to for support. Kel did wonder sometimes, if Hero’s worrying over him helped distract Hero from his own depression, supporting his brother in the slow road to transitioning.

But the argument they had a year after Mari’s death had left scars, scars that Kel wasn’t sure would ever heal. Even talking with his therapist about it sounded terrifying and Kel tried to block out his memories of it. Words hurt, and he didn’t want to dredge up the past, especially since Hero barely remembered the argument, only that he had said some things that had hit very close to home for Kel.

Neither of them had handled Mari’s death well at the time, Kel had just wanted Hero to be okay, not wanting his brother to drown in depression like he had occasionally. It had only reinforced the unhealthy optimism he had tried to portray to everyone, trying to fake it till he made it, as others would say.

Of course it meant that Aubrey had initially seen Kel as being completely disaffected by Mari’s death and resulted in the growing antagonism between the two of them. But it was times like these, when Kel could let down the mask of hopeless cheeriness, that Aubrey was able to see Kel for how he really was.

Deeply affected by Mari’s death. Deeply affected by how everyone had taken it. Kel was too empathetic for his own good, trying to bottle up his negative emotions and trying to ignore them with happiness for everyone else’s sake. Kel wondered if that had helped with repairing their bond after Sunny’s confession, Kel could even let the mask slip occasionally around Hero and Aubrey.

Kel knew however eventually he would have to stop trying to play the stiff upper lip around Sunny and Basil, but he feared that he would be putting too much pressure on them, given their own issues. It was part of what made things difficult for him to try and confess his feelings to Sunny and Basil, he didn’t want to pile on any more pressure on the two. 

He didn’t want the two to feel like they had to date him, it was a concern he had a few times, that the two’s self-destructive view of themselves would mean their relationship would be built on unintended pressure. 

It’s what made trying to confess so hard. But he needed to do it, tell them how he felt about the two of them rather than letting it stew under the surface for so long trying to keep his distance and constantly thinking about what could have been.

It was a while before the two of them came out of the bathroom, Kel feeling much better than he did before though it was mostly because of how good he had gotten about zoning out this kind of pain he felt. Kel tried to go and dress himself, though Aubrey forced herself in on the matter, Hero was downstairs prepping breakfast.

“Aubrey, I can dress myself!” Kel insisted, fussing about it since he was uncomfortable with how much Aubrey was fretting over him now.

“Come off of it, Kel, you’re barely able to keep yourself standing upright… or would you rather your brother help you with this?” Aubrey demanded, and Kel had to admit that it was extremely embarrassing either way.

“I’m fine… I can…” Kel said, as his legs gave out and he nearly fell onto the bed, a sudden weakness he hadn’t realised he had been feeling due to how much he was trying to tune out. Kel managed to catch himself with Aubrey’s help, with her helping him stand up. 

“Coming from the boy who just nearly fainted?” Aubrey asked, and Kel grumbled before sticking his tongue out at her. 

It didn’t take long though all things considered, it was winter now, so it meant that he could get away with longer clothes. In Kel’s mind, that made it much easier to pass.

“Have you considered getting a binder yet…?” Aubrey asked suddenly after Kel insisted on putting on their bra themselves due to embarrassment.

“A… what?” Kel asked sheepishly, he wasn’t as knowledgeable about things like that. Hero hadn’t thought about it due to lack of knowledge since he was still just starting college.

“It’s… a garment, it’s like a bra but it uh… flattens the chest more than your sports bras do… you can’t wear it all the time but… it might help…?” Aubrey suggested, and Kel felt awed to be in Aubrey’s presence.

“THEY MAKE THOSE?!” Kel exclaimed in sheer joy, astounded and amazed at this new tidbit of information that helped counteract the depressive mood he had felt this morning due to his dysphoria. 

“Y-You didn’t know?! Kel… you dumbass! You could have saved yourself so many problems!” Aubrey exclaimed, she couldn’t believe this. No actually, she totally could. Kel might have been transgender but he was still an utter god damn dumbass like he usually was.

“H-Hey! I might know my own gender but that doesn't mean I know everything!” Kel huffed as he slipped on his shirt, tapping his foot against the wooden floor as he thought about it.

“Why can’t I wear it all the time though…? Can I wear it when doing sports…?” Kel asked, it sounded like a dream come true.

“I was about to start buying lotsa bandages and trying to tape it all down” Kel added, it sounded practical from his point of view but Aubrey groaned.

“Oh my god I can’t believe you’re dumber than Mikhael and Angel combined…” Aubrey groaned dramatically as she sat on Kel’s bed.

“The reason is cus it constricts your chest, so it can cut off blood flow if you’re not careful, but it’s sure as shit better than having to deal with dysphoria and someone making a comment about your chest” Aubrey explained as she looked at the fan spinning and blowing air down on her.

“But it’s better than nothing” Kel said, excitedly as he clapped his hands together and bounced a little on his feet, his joy managing to tell the pain to go fuck itself for the time being.

“You need to be careful though, especially with how little blood your brain apparently gets, you big doofus” Aubrey said with a smug look on her face, and Kel glared at her.

  
  
“H-Hey!” Kel complained, his tone carrying a whine to it as he pouted at her teasing. Ah, the joy of older siblings. Sometimes it was worth it, for these conversations here.

“How come you know… about it…?” Kel asked suddenly, if he hadn’t known, why had Aubrey?

“Uh, someone I knew had to wear a binder for a while” Aubrey said evasively, she didn’t exactly want to divulge who. 

“Do I know them?” Kel asked, thinking about it as he tapped his foot against the floor as he leaned against the wall.

“Uh… technically yes?” Aubrey said, shit she didn’t exactly want to out someone’s personal history like this.

“Well, they’re a swell person for telling you then!” Kel admitted, deciding not to poke at who. As eager as he was to know, he was under the assumption that they themselves were also a transboy like himself. The idea that it was someone he knew made him feel even better, and he wondered who it was. But he didn’t want to pry.

He could hear Aubrey breathe out a sigh of evident relief that he didn’t pry. Good decision then.

“Sucks I can’t wear it during sports, but…” Kel said, once they finished getting dressed, with Aubrey looking away to give Kel some privacy.

“It’ll be worth it!” Kel said, giddy as he thought about how much better his figure would feel.

“I can try looking up where to buy one?” Aubrey offered, causing Kel to grin.

“I hope they aren’t too expensive…” Kel said, though he was prone to spending his allowance on Orange Joe. Aubrey was still dumbfounded he could tolerate the damned thing. Kel just seemed to love anything orange-flavoured so maybe that was it.

“Uh, I’ll get back to you on that cus I don’t know how much they cost either” Aubrey confessed, getting up and walking over to the door.

“Aubrey, I’m not going to fall down the stairs, I’m feeling better, honest…” Kel tried to insist and Aubrey just stared at him.

“Yeah nah, I ain’t taking chances when you’re this unsteady on your damn feet” Aubrey deadpanned and Kel felt the sting of her words.

Kel just pouted and followed her once he felt he was presentable enough, though he had to admit sometimes he did feel a little unsteady, the nausea wasn’t fully away, but maybe that was just dehydration and an empty stomach talking.

He told himself that it would be better after breakfast, something to quell his grumbling stomach would be a good idea. He did act melodramatically as he was helped down the steps, he had felt a little nervous about stairs ever since Sunny had come clean about the events of 4 years ago, but it was to distract himself from thoughts about what happened.

For what felt like an eternity, they did reach the bottom of the steps, and he smiled at Aubrey.

  
  
“See, I could do it!” Kel declared, as if that proved himself to his sister. She rolled her eyes.

  
  
“You were gripping the stairs for dear life, you okay?” Aubrey asked, and Kel insistently nodded.

“You’re as bad as Hero when it comes to worrying about me now, it’s creepy now that you’re doing it too” Kel complained, huffing as Aubrey grinned at him.

“Oh so I’m creepy now…?” Aubrey asked, and Kel swore he could see her eyes twitching.

“Yeah! I’m used to you getting mad at me, not being super turbo omega concerned over every single thing that I do…” Kel complained, it was getting a bit tiresome on his end but he appreciated it a little.

It was symbolic of the bond between them repairing, that Aubrey was actually worrying about him, that they weren’t sweeping the effects of the last four years under the rug. It was… nice to be worried about in a weird way.

“I’m worried cus I care, you know…? Besides, you’re honestly the one with the most warning signs these days… other than the obvious two others!” Aubrey insisted, and Kel couldn’t deny her words. 

She knew the optimism and happiness had been a mask all those times now, and Kel couldn’t hide the mask from her now that she knew it was there. The stress of school and trying to pass as himself enough to be safe was like gasoline on the pile of tinder that was trying to cope the last four years with Mari’s death, and now with the fact he nearly lost his two best friends. Add a smidge of fearful guilt over potentially being responsible for Basil’s breakdown when he let slip about Sunny moving...

Kel felt her hand on his shoulder and he was pulled into an embrace with the pink haired girl, though the dye was starting to fade these days. Maybe he could help her with the next reapplication of it. Maybe even get his own hair dyed to something nicer.

He wondered what kind of hair colour Sunny and Basil might like, maybe he should just stick with his current hair colour just in case. He idly felt his hair, maybe he needed to get it cut short again, it was getting a tad too long for his own comfort. 

“Thanks, Aubs…” Kel said, grinning at her in his characteristic optimistic manner.

“No problem, I mean we’re stuck living together now so… might as well get along, plus I get to beat your problems up I guess” Aubrey joked, and Kel had to laugh at that.

“I think Sunny would employ those services if you could beat up his depression” Kel pointed out and Aubrey said nothing.

They were quiet for a few moments. Right… those two. Learning exactly what Sunny had been doing those last four years had been illuminating, learning that the boy was hallucinating nightmarish entities regularly due to his guilt over his sister’s death had been… concerning. 

Sunny and Basil had been uncomfortable with telling them about why they fought that night, but learning that the two had been crumbling under the weight of their secret explained a lot. Them going through a hallucination filled nightmarish breakdown… Hero ended up forgiving them after that. It also meant the two were being watched with a closer eye by the rest of them. They had not handled Mari’s death well at all, and they needed support in their lives.

Basil especially with the death of his grandmother, leaving Polly as his only caregiver due to his absent parents. 

“Well, Sunny’s getting out of hospital today so… yeah” Kel said, trying to change the subject to a happier one.

“Gonna meet them at the hospital?” Aubrey asked as they walked out into the living room before Aubrey grabbed Kel by the shoulders and turned him 90 degrees towards the kitchen.

“Nah, talked with Sunny about it… I’m… going to go over to his house, me and Basil, ya know?” Kel commented as they crossed the threshold of the kitchen entrance and they were rewarded with the smell of Hero’s cooking.

“Finally out?” Hero teased affectionately, there was no malice or accusation behind his words. Hero understood, he was used to this happening, he was just glad that Kel had another person to support him.

“Aubrey, can you help me set the table?” Kel’s mom asked as she peeked over from the doorframe. She looked over at Kel, a sympathetic expression on her face as Kel smiled weakly at her and waved.

“Sure, mom!” Aubrey said with eagerness in her tone. It felt nice to hear her say those words with such enthusiasm. Kel was glad he helped get her out of her former mother’s place.

And well, some nights when he was alone with his thoughts, Kel wondered if he was so eager about her joining their family because Kel felt he owed his mother a replacement daughter, to replace the one who was really her son. Kel hated those thoughts, those feelings of self-doubt and self-hatred, making him second guess his feelings.

Kel walked forward and sat down at the kitchen bench.

“Oi, Hero… want me to help out?” Kel asked, resting his head against the table in a spat of boredom.

“Kel, last time you tried cooking, you ignited the pan” Hero deadpanned and Kel whined at that.

“No, I didn’t! I just used too much oil!” Kel objected to his brother’s statement.

“So you set fire to the pan” Hero deadpanned next, rolling his eyes as he continued cooking.

“What are you making anyway… it smells really good” Kel said, as his stomach growled in rebellion of its lack of sustenance. 

“Omelettes! Figured I’d make something light and simple for you, since you’re a tad under the weather” Hero confessed, and Kel rolled his eyes.

“You don’t need to treat me like a dainty little flower every time it gets this bad… it’s not always like this'' Kel objected as Hero used a nylon spatula to slowly and carefully divide an omelette in half before serving it onto plates.

“You appreciate it though, or is this you trying to catch up on that teenage rebellious phase?” Hero teased and Kel tapped their fingers against the counter.

“Stop bullying meeeee” Kel whined, hating that he couldn’t deny he actually appreciated how much Hero fretted over him. Maybe he was just glad that Hero wasn’t moping around like he was before.

“Oh you know you love it when I tease” Hero snickered, as he started to mix together egg and mix and the various ingredients in another pyrex glass bowl, before pouring the contents out in the pan, hearing the ‘pssssh’ as the heat transferred into the egg and milk mixture and started to cook.

“Can you take this out to Mom?” Hero asked, paying attention to the pan as he jerked his head to the side to indicate the two plates of freshly cooked omelette. Kel could see diced mushroom, bacon, bits of melted cheese and a little bit of diced bell pepper in with it.

“Sure, I can do that at least” Kel said with a grin, getting up and walking over to beside his brother to pick up the plates, carefully balancing them in his hands as he watched his brother cook for a few moments before walking into the dining room.

The table was already set and his mother and Aubrey were talking. 

“Fresh outta the pan” Kel declared, setting the plates down in front of his mother and Aubrey, before taking a seat at the end of the table between them.

His mother reached over and rubbed his back, before embracing him.

“H-Hey!” Kel exclaimed, fussing a little. His mother always got like this on these days, and Kel wasn’t sure if it was due to her worries about his mental health causing her to act so coddling or because of just general motherly behaviour knowing her son was in pain.

“It’s gonna be okay, hun” Kel’s mother said, and he had to admit it did feel nice as he leaned into the hug.

Aubrey was grinning at him, watching this display of maternal love with surprisingly no jealousy. Though given her previous living situation, Kel wondered if this was because of his mother worrying about ending up like Aubrey’s mother and overcompensating by mothering the hell out of Aubrey.

“This is ruining my reputation…” Kel grumbled out and Aubrey snorted in response to his claim.

“What reputation?” Aubrey cackled, laughing a little, before Kel stuck his tongue out at her in defiance.

Hero eventually came out a few moments later with the remaining plates. Their father was at work this morning, so he unfortunately missed out. Hero set the plate of omelette down in front of Kel, and ruffled his hair, causing him to grin as he noticed that Hero had used tomato ketchup to make a happy face on his omelette.

It made him think… did he really have that many warning signs? Maybe Hero was overcompensating for Mari’s death and the truth by being on the lookout for him. And Sunny. And Basil.

Kel didn’t know how to feel, outwardly he was smiling and happily eating but internally he was worrying. About how much his facade was slipping around his friends. Was he even okay enough to be dating anyone? Much less two people at the same time?

He just didn’t know…

  
  
And so he ate breakfast, idly listening to the conversation between his family members, trying to organize his own thoughts, he had to have everything together for when he confessed to Sunny and Basil. 

Maybe today would go well, he hoped most deeply, as he daydreamed of a future day, on the steps of the church altar where he could marry the loves of his life. Sunny and Basil… and they deserved the world, in Kel’s mind.

He just hoped they would take the confession well.

But… maybe they would. Not for any reason such a pressure, but for honest reciprocated feelings.

That hope would keep him going, as he enjoyed the taste of Hero’s cooking.

Right! He could do this!

  
  
He would do this!

“Hey Aubrey…?” Kel asked suddenly, trying to maintain his resolution.

“Yeah, bro?” Aubrey asked, noticing the shift in the happy boy’s tone.  
  
“Is it… alright if you’re there today with Kim?” Kel asked, smiling at Aubrey as he leaned against.

“Yeah but… why? Are you getting cold feet?” Aubrey asked, and Hero raised an eye at what was going on. He was out of the loop on Kel’s crushes.

“Nah, just a bit of support is all'' Kel admitted, grinning. He wanted both of them there, and hoped that maybe his courage would help Aubrey get the resolve to pursue her own crush on Kim. Kel wanted her to be happy as well, she deserved it after everything she had been through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my attempt at starting a work about Kel being a Transboy because I kept having it on the mind at the time. Unfortunately, I'm not trans, and I'm genderfluid so I uh... wasn't sure like how to write this. I wanted to write it since its outside of my normal writing comfort zone so please feel free to like, inform me about any inconsistencies I might have made.
> 
> So yeah.  
> Trans Kel.  
> Oops.
> 
> Also yes. Genderfluid Basil (Don't mind me, here I go projecting again).


End file.
